Improving the fuel efficiency of an aircraft is an increasingly important aircraft design consideration. One aerodynamic solution to increasing efficiency may be to reduce the induced drag associated with aircraft wings by increasing the aircraft wingspan. However, various other considerations limit the extent that typical wingspans may be increased. One of these considerations includes airport gate restrictions. Airport gates are typically coded according to specific aircraft wingspans. To increase the wingspan of an aircraft beyond a certain length may increase the aircraft's efficiency, but may alter the gate code assigned to the aircraft, potentially limiting the number and type of gates at which the aircraft may park or even preventing the aircraft from parking at existing airport gates without the costly undertaking of reconfiguring airports to accommodate the aircraft.
Another consideration when increasing the wingspan of an aircraft is that doing so increases the bending moment of the wing. The corresponding increased loads on the wing during flight require structural reinforcement of the wing. However, the structural weight increase that coincides with the required structural reinforcement generally offsets the aerodynamic improvements of the increased wingspan. As an alternative to increasing wingspans in order to improve aircraft efficiency, winglets are often added to the tips of aircraft wings. Winglets have the effect of increasing wingspan without actually increasing the span of the wings; however, they are not as effective as an equivalent direct span increase. Moreover, winglets are commonly rigid and require load alleviation and structural improvements in the wing to accommodate the wing additions, which undesirably increases the weight of the wing.
Adding raked wing tips to an aircraft wing increases aircraft efficiency, but because raked wing tips increase the span of the wings, their use does not alleviate the problem with moving the aircraft to a different gate code, or requiring expensive modifications to existing gates. Additionally, raked wing tips are rigid structures that, like the winglets discussed above, often require structural improvements to the wing that may offset much or all of the benefit from the raked wing tips. By increasing the span of the wings, raked wing tips increase bending moments in the wings that must be accommodated with further structural improvements that add weight to the wing.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.